Notes: Longtime Birchmere owner Gary Oelze, 80, dies

Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!

⛅ Today’s weather: Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 47 and low of 35.
☔ Tomorrow: Rain throughout the day. High of 51 and low of 36. Sunrise at 7:21 am and sunset at 5:21 pm.

🚨 You need to know

Gary Oelze, longtime owner of legendary music venue The Birchmere, has died at 80 years old, Zebra first reported.

Oelze was hired as a manager at a restaurant in Shirlington that would reopen as The Birchmere in 1966. It was a successful lunch business, Zebra wrote, but Oelze added the music focus to boost nighttime business. Oelze even played in the restaurant’s first band.

Over time, the venue would grow to become legendary in the music world and continues to be Alexandria’s most prominent musical venue.

https://twitter.com/thebirchmere/status/1617621893812752384

📈 Monday’s most read

The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Jan 23, 2023.

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  Alexandria Times (Monday @ 9:37 pm)

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• Why Does History Matter? Send Historic Alexandria Your Thoughts in Annual Survey
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• OBITUARY: Gary Oelze, 80, Visionary Owner of The Birchmere Music Hall, Dies
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• Some Alexandria Services Moving To New Mark Center Facility
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🐦 Tweets of note

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— Alexandria Transportation & Environmental Services (@AlexandriaVATES) January 23, 2023

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